Yeah, Jethrow, I am aware of that possibility, however far fetched it might be on a well designed and set up yacht, this is a remote possibility, nevertheless a possibility. Point taken.
On Rhapsody only the removable stay had hanked sails, far away from any lines which might catch the Wichard hanks. The head sail was furled.
I used this set up for years and years single handed and not once had any mishaps, ever.
I did not mind going forward, wearing a life west with a PLB and always clipped on to the jack line when I stepped out of the cockpit, most of the time wearing same while inside of the cockpit.
As far as the problem with the narrow gap btwn fore stay and staysail-stay (call it what you might like), on my tub there was just adequate space to tack or wear the head sail. Using bowlines on the clew - working end tied in! - seldom gave me trouble, like catching the baby-stay, but on the bowline knot the working end had to be tied-in! not out! [see pics]
However, having inadequate space btwn sails, when sailing in low to moderate winds, I used the following method regularly to tack my huge non-furling assimetric with a spectra luff-line, running the sheets on the outside of the forestay. One could not do this with a sail on a furler or hanked to the fore-stay, of course.
When sailing in low winds I used the above method on as a matter of course to tack my assimetric which was set outside of the fore-stay from the bow-sprit to the mast-head and there was not enough space btwn the luff and the fore-stay to pull the huge canvas over but running the sheet outside not btwn the two sails, as it would be traditionally run. I used the 'outside sheet-method' with two sails and with three sails as a trial when I had crew aboard, as this was too much for a single hand. It worked fine in low winds.
Tacking the assimetric with the sheets running on the outside became the way of tacking the sail but it needed precise coordination and a quick hand having 60+ feet of sheet to handle. It had to be done handsomely. Would have been much easier with a furler, thou.
The assy was used up to 10-12 knot winds max, above that the wind was overpowering the boat.
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